So here I am, at the tail end of a great weekend, feeling more exhausted than when the week ended. The week was pretty non-descript, I worked hard, but didn't really get a chance to play hard, so I was ready to atone for that at the weekend!


On Friday, I went home and studied diligently until late into the evening (Mum, you should be proud!). The work is proving to be very difficult, and am ready to push myself, and have even moved myself into a higher class for my oral Chinese. Anyway, at about 10, I got a call from a friend to come out. I went to his flat, had a quick beer there with his flatmates, and then we went to some random Chinese girl's 21st birthday. Now, if anyone's ever seen that silly MTV show "My Super Sweet 16", this birthday was just like that (i.e. a spoilt brat whose parents have spent a lot of money to give them an extravagant party). This party was at the Ritz Carlton, and they'd hired out the function suite. There was about two or three guys with video cameras, and half a dozen photographers, recording everyone's every move. On a giant canvas, was a mural of the birthday girl, which she expected the guests to sign, and on the walls were plasma TVs with photos of her. Naturally the alcohol was free so we took full advantage!





After this, we went to a Chinese club called Mix. Now these clubs are about 20 times better than any equivalent club in Europe: think, lots of black glass, neon lights, cheesy Hip Hop music (not my preferred type of music but when in Rome...), and you've got the idea. In Ningbo, us Westerners were considered something of a rarity, and Chinese people would be honoured to offer us drinks, here in Beijing, we're such a commodity that no-one gives us a second look. Still, it was a great night. Got home about 3/3:30ish and crashed out!

Despite my late night, I still managed to force myself out of bed at 9 the next morning, in order to go sightseeing. Somewhat ironically, less than 12 hours after a night of excesses, I had decided to visit both a Mosque and a Buddhist temple! Perhaps it was in order to atone for the sins of the previous night?! At any rate, I took the half an hour bus ride to South Beijing, and had a short walk to the Mosque.

Its hard to find to find much tranquillity in Beijing, most of the time, the city is bustling, and all of the tourist spots attract either loud Americans, or large Chinese tour groups, wearing brightly coloured caps, talking equally loudly! However, on this day, I succeeded in finding not just one, but two spots of peace and tranquillity in Beijing. The Mosque was in the Muslim quarter of Beijing, which I didn't even know existed. To see it from the outside, you wouldn't even know that it was a mosque, there was a complete absence of domes and minarets, there was very little Arabic text, it was painted in the usual bright blues, greens and reds seen on most Chinese temples, and it retained the typically Chinese adornment of lions, dragons etc.

As I mentioned before, it was an island of calm in the chaos that is Beijing: I was able to hear the birds tweeting, and could walk around at my leisure, without hearing the sound of someone's mobile phone going off.

From the Mosque, it wasn't far to Fayuan temple, and I walked along, taking in the sights, sounds and smells of this very different region of Beijing. Outside the temple was a small park, frequented by children playing, an old man singing, and the odd monk or two, talking to a lay-person. I went into the temple, and it too, was a zen of peace and tranquillity. I had previously visited a large Buddhist temple in Shanghai, and it was something of a tourist trap, making vistors pay a large amount for entry, and trying to hawk jade figurines, incense sticks and various other things to these tourists. This was completely different, there was an active monk community, who were all too willing to smile and say "ni hao" to the few visitors that were there; at the same time, there were people actually worshipping at the various shrines. Buddhism and Chinese culture seem like a match made in heaven (despite the obvious problems with the Dalai Lama, Tibet and China - I hope I don't get in trouble for mentioning this!); the mythical Chinese figurines of the dragons, lions and other animals go perfectly with the Buddha statues and the general aura of calm brought by this religion. I was also amused by the fact that the monks were using mobile phones, and were riding around the compound on mountain bikes! I eventually managed to tear myself away from this place, and went to have a much deserved lunch at Pizza Hut (something I'd been craving all week!).


In the afternoon, I'd organised with a friend to go to a Kung Fu lesson, something that initially seemed exciting, but that became a more and more frightening prospect closer to the start of our lesson! We arrived at the gym, feeling quite apprehensive, looked into the room, and saw, to our horror, that there was no-one over the age of 10 in this class! We made a swift exit, going for a coffee. Resigned to not going to Kung Fu classes, we expected to just go home, but the Kung Fu teacher called me about 20 minutes later, explaining to me that the children's class had finished and that the adults' class was starting now. Reluctantly we went back the gym to start our class. Often, I do something like this on a whim, and this was no exception, but the class was fantastic, and I've now signed up for another four Kung Fu classes! My skills leave a lot to be desired, and I think that on more than one occassion, the teacher had to stop himself from laughing! No matter though, I'll persevere and hopefully progress with the Kung Fu.


That night, the mother told me to invite a few of my friends over for dinner, and I had done so. She had made Chinese hot pot, sort of like a fondue, but with spiced, boiling water instead of cheese, and using tofu, meats, and various vegetables instead of bread.

She'd even done a separate pot for me, so that I didn't have to use the one containing meat. We had a really nice time, and I felt very grateful for having such a nice Chinese family.






Post-dinner, myself and a couple of other guys made a beeline for the nearest sports bar, where we were treated to the joys of four hours of continuous premiership football. I saw the end of the Portsmouth-Everton game, simultaneously watched the Man Utd-Fulham game and the Spurs-Chelsea game, and watched the start of the Arsenal-Newcastle game. Bizarrely, it was Ladies Night at this sports bar (why the hell would you have ladies night at a sports bar?!), and the matches were not accompanied by commentary, but by the sounds of "We Are Family", M-People and various other ladies anthems!! This is China after all - there has to be a small downside to every situation!!


I eventually got back at three, fell asleep, dreaming of Gomes' saves and Modric's goal.


Which takes me upto the forthcoming week. Again, I will be studying hard, but will hopefully have an equally interesting weekend.


Hope everyone is well,


Miss you all lots,


Nihal


PS these photos just took me an hour to put in. I know the alignment is still rubbish but I'm fed up with dealing with these!!